Paul John Dykes was joined by Natasha Meikle and Lawrence Connolly on a recent edition of A Celtic State Of Mind and during the show, Connolly spent some time talking about former Hoops coach Jim McGuinness.
Per Transfermarkt, McGuinness was a mental coach and a youth coach during his time at the Glasgow club, which began in the 2012/13 season and lasted until the 2016/17 campaign.
While discussing the fitness levels of Celtic’s current squad during this podcast, Connolly shared that he thinks it might be the right time for McGuinness to be brought back to Parkhead, with the 48-year-old having most recently worked in professional football with American side Charlotte Independence.
Connolly said: “We should look at the fitness coaches. I know Jim McGuinness was really hot on it. He’s at Galway now after a [spell at Charlotte] – maybe it’s time to bring him back in. Rodgers rated him.”
Should Celtic bring Jim McGuinness back to Parkhead?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts on what Connolly had to say about McGuinness…
Given that McGuinness, who was recently involved with Co. Galway’s senior Gaelic footballers, isn’t currently working in professional football, perhaps Celtic could convince him to return to Parkhead.
Additionally, considering that current Hoops boss Neil Lennon was Celtic’s manager when McGuinness was initially brought to the Glasgow club and, at the time, shared plenty of confidence about the advantages the Hoops could enjoy by having him as part of their coaching setup, maybe this is something that Lennon will realistically consider in order to give his side a boost in their pursuit of a potentially historic 10th straight Premiership title this term.
With Celtic currently trailing their Old Firm rivals Rangers by some distance in the Premiership, though they have played fewer games than the Gers, perhaps they should leave no stone unturned in their search for title-winning form and so, maybe Connolly’s suggestion isn’t a bad one at all, with McGuinness having enjoyed plenty of success during his career.